THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 6, 1996 TAG: 9607060379
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4B EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 74 lines
An automobile accident just west of the Wright Memorial Bridge left a Charlottesville teenager paralyzed Thursday morning.
And dozens of minor fireworks-related blazes were reported that night from Corolla through Ocracoke.
But overall, law enforcement officials said, July 4th was relatively quiet - especially considering that this holiday drew the largest crowds anyone can remember to the Outer Banks, an estimated 160,000 people or more.
``We've been extremely busy all week. But we didn't have the first bad vibe or problem yesterday,'' Nags Head Police Chief Charles Cameron said Friday, the day after his town hosted its first oceanfront fireworks display in at least 10 years. ``We've had great weather all week - the best ever for July 4th. It's packed here.''
Dare County Fire Marshall Doug Remaley said ocean rescue workers responded to calls continuously Wednesday through Friday. ``But there's been nothing serious on the water so far,'' he said late Friday. ``We've had a whole mess of accidents over the past few days. But most have been fender benders. And the fires, thank goodness, have been primarily brush burns related to fireworks.''
The most serious accident Thursday involved an 18-year-old Charlottesville, Va., man who was on his way to the Outer Banks to celebrate Independence Day.
Jonathan Scott Ratcliffe was paralyzed early the morning of July 4th when the truck he was riding in overturned four miles west of the Wright Memorial Bridge on U.S. 158. Ratcliffe was in stable condition in the intensive care ward of Sentara Norfolk General Hospital on Friday afternoon, a nursing supervisor said. His spinal cord snapped near his neck in the accident.
``The information we have is that he probably will be paralyzed for life,'' North Carolina State Trooper Sgt. Craig Garriss said.
Ratcliffe left Charlottesville after midnight Thursday morning with a friend, Drayton Michael Turner, also 18. At about 5:15 a.m., Turner was driving his 1984 Toyota pickup through Powell's Point, seven miles outside of Kitty Hawk, when he ran off the right side of the road and struck a driveway culvert.
``The vehicle went airborne and flipped over,'' Garriss said. ``No other vehicles were involved in the accident. The driver said he fell asleep.''
Turner suffered a concussion and a broken thumb. He was in good condition in Albemarle General Hospital Friday afternoon.
One of the workers igniting the town fireworks display in Nags Head also was injured Thursday night while working on the half-hour oceanfront show, Remaley said. The unnamed worker was released from Outer Banks Medical Center later that night after being treated for first- and second-degree burns.
Firefighters in Corolla, Duck and Hatteras Island were especially busy after dark Thursday as they struggled to put out a series of small blazes caused by illegal fireworks that residents and visitors set off - primarily on private property.
``We had a lot of trouble with grass fires that wound up threatening structures,'' Corolla Fire Chief Marshall Cherry said. ``Bystanders with buckets and garden hoses helped us a lot. But there were numerous illegal fireworks - and several people charged with obstruction of justice.
``In North Carolina, anything that soars through the air or goes `Bang!' is illegal. That includes bottle rockets. And many of those fires were caused by bottle rockets.''
Duck firefighters responded to nine fireworks-related blazes Thursday night, Duck Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ron Meadows said. ``Some of the grass flames got real tall - up to eight feet,'' he said. ``They began blowing toward the houses.''
Southern Shores and Nags Head firefighters also put out a couple of brush fires caused by fireworks Thursday night.
And Kill Devil Hills police were called to an armed robbery at Taco Bell early Thursday morning after a gun-wielding suspect made off with an undisclosed amount of cash.
``It's normally a yearly thing to be swamped about now,'' Remaley said of emergency crews' recent heavy load of calls. ``July 4th is always the Outer Banks' busiest time. And we still have this weekend to go.''
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT TRAFFIC INJURIES by CNB